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Book Club
The Observer Book Club: Postcards Live! With Chloe Aridjis, Julian Barnes, Mark Haddon and Akshi Singh
Invited experts
Tom Gatti
Literary Editor
Chloe Aridjis
Julian Barnes
Mark Haddon
Akshi Singh
Tom Gatti
Literary Editor
Julian Barnes
Akshi Singh
Chloe Aridjis
Mark Haddon
It may be a simple thing – image on one side, a few scrawled lines on the other – but a postcard always tells a story. This September, to beat the post-summer-holiday comedown, The Observer and Redstone Press are hosting a celebration of this small but mighty form in our London newsroom – a special event marking the publication of Having a Wonderful Time, an anthology of original fiction inspired by real postcards that goes beyond the weather updates to offer love letters, secrets, disasters, laughter and delight.
Our top-flight cast of authors – Chloe Aridjis, Julian Barnes, Mark Haddon and Akshi Singh – will read their stories, share their love of dog-eared holiday missives, and perhaps even try their hand, with any keen audience members, at some live postcard-writing. Plus: hear the winning entries from the The Observer / Redstone Press Postcard Story prize (open to enter until 1 September). Wish you were there? Join us on 17 September, and you can be.
Chaired by The Observer’s Literary Editor Tom Gatti.
About the authors
Chloe Aridjis is a Mexican-British writer whose fourth novel The Shadow of the Object is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
Julian Barnes is a Booker-winning novelist whose most recent book Departure(s) was published in January on his 80th birthday.
Mark Haddon’s books include the novels The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and The Porpoise, and the memoir Leaving Home. The Observer recently published a series of his new short stories.
Akshi Singh is a writer, editor and psychoanalyst. Her first book In Defence of Leisure: Experiments in Living with Marion Milner, is out now.
Invited experts
Tom Gatti
Literary Editor
Chloe Aridjis
Julian Barnes
Mark Haddon
Akshi Singh
Tom Gatti
Literary Editor
Julian Barnes
Akshi Singh
Chloe Aridjis
Mark Haddon
It may be a simple thing – image on one side, a few scrawled lines on the other – but a postcard always tells a story. This September, to beat the post-summer-holiday comedown, The Observer and Redstone Press are hosting a celebration of this small but mighty form in our London newsroom – a special event marking the publication of Having a Wonderful Time, an anthology of original fiction inspired by real postcards that goes beyond the weather updates to offer love letters, secrets, disasters, laughter and delight.
Our top-flight cast of authors – Chloe Aridjis, Julian Barnes, Mark Haddon and Akshi Singh – will read their stories, share their love of dog-eared holiday missives, and perhaps even try their hand, with any keen audience members, at some live postcard-writing. Plus: hear the winning entries from the The Observer / Redstone Press Postcard Story prize (open to enter until 1 September). Wish you were there? Join us on 17 September, and you can be.
Chaired by The Observer’s Literary Editor Tom Gatti.
About the authors
Chloe Aridjis is a Mexican-British writer whose fourth novel The Shadow of the Object is longlisted for the 2026 Booker Prize.
Julian Barnes is a Booker-winning novelist whose most recent book Departure(s) was published in January on his 80th birthday.
Mark Haddon’s books include the novels The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and The Porpoise, and the memoir Leaving Home. The Observer recently published a series of his new short stories.
Akshi Singh is a writer, editor and psychoanalyst. Her first book In Defence of Leisure: Experiments in Living with Marion Milner, is out now.